www.wansaiful.com

I was profiled in The Star’s Eurofile section (by Choi Tuck Wo) last week.

See it here

I am still recovering from the long day yesterday. 3 May 2007 for me started at 9am the day before and did not finish until 5am the next day.

Wednesday 2 May – Cllr Edmond Yeo helped us campaign. We spent the whole day talking to people outside the local shops and distributed leaflets informing people what we plan to do for Limbury.

Thursday 3 May:
4am – after prayer, started the dawn-raid. We blitzed Limbury with literature calling for people to vote. We told them that last time Conservative lost by just 32 votes. We explained that Limbury is a close fight between Labour and Conservatives. If they are not happy with Labour, but voted for a party other than us, then Labour is the one who would be smiling.

7am – Polling stations opened. I was telling from the time it opened until around 4pm, when friends from London came all the way up to help. It was looking very good and people were very supportive. Voters were giving us the thumbs-up as they walk in and out of the polling station. Like us, the Labour tellers were not that confident themselves – we all knew it would be a close call.

6pm – Went to our campaign centre and picked up the list of people who have not voted. Visited each one of them to ask them to come out and vote for us.

10pm – Polling closed. Went back home for a quick dinner and to freshen up before the count.

10.30pm – Arrived at counting centre. Counting has started.

2.30am – We were told that it was too close to call. The election officer wanted a recount because it was too close.

3.30am – The result was officially announced as follows:

Malcolm Bailey (Green) 124

Colin David Brown (UK Independence) 214

Norris Bullock (Labour) 859*

Nick Capp (The English Democrats) 263

Klazina Coleman (Labour) 816

John Stephen Roberts (Liberal Democrats) 176

Margaret Simons (Conservative) 844 *

Sharon Elaine Virgo (Liberal Democrats) 143

Wan Saiful Wan Jan (Conservative) 687

Stephen David Wildman (UK Independence) 138

I got 687 votes, which was not enough to get me in. Margaret Simons, my running mate came a close second and was duly elected.

We fought hard. Our campaign got Labour very worried such that they had to call in Kelvin Hopkins MP to help in Limbury. That was how worried they were.

I am elated with Margaret’s victory and I am proud to be part of it. Obviously I am disappointed for losing, but for a first-timer with no previous campaigning experience like me, the outcome was excellent! We gave Labour a good run for their money and were the only ward in the whole of Luton where Conservative gained a seat.

I have three observations:

First, the turnout this time was almost 10% higher than in the last election. It was still low at 39.6%, but relatively better than last time at only 30.44%. The number of votes gained by both Labour and Conservative reflected this. My votes were about 17% higher than what was achieved by the Conservative candidate last time. Margaret’s was 31% higher. In terms of the total number of votes, between Margaret and I, we increased Conservative’s votes by around 25%. This is a big achievement in itself. Unfortunately, and perhaps partly as a result of our own campaign too, Labour’s votes also increased by around 19%.

I think this is due to the fact that Labour campaigned hard to get their voters out. Although we tried our best, we were simply outnumbered. Because they were worried, they called in big names like Kelvin Hopkins MP to help campaign (I saw him in Limbury more several times over the last few months). There were just a few of us working there.

Second, there was clearly some preferential voting taking place. During the count, we did well when the votes for both Margaret and I were counted. But when counting the split votes (ie: those who voted for either one of us plus another party), my votes dropped while Margaret’s went up. Several people at the count, from different parties, commented that this is a sign that the Conservative voters have not changed – they would vote for a white candidate but not for someone with a foreign name. They say that was why they voted for Margaret but not for me. I disagree with that observation.

A good chunk of voters voted for both of us. Race did not come into play for the vast majority of Conservative voters. But in terms of the split votes, I put it more to the fact that Margaret is better known in the community. She received just 157 votes more than I did. She had more time to meet the electorates because she lives and works locally, whereas I was limited to campaigning just during weekends (as I work in London). Local elections are about local issues and people voted for those who they know better. They voted for the Labour candidate and Margaret, both of whom a better known to the locals (the second Labour candidate lives outside the ward and she too lost).

Third, there were simply too many candidates who had no chance of winning but stole votes from us. Labour must be thankful to LibDem, UKIP, the English Democrat and Green. Without them, Labour would have lost. Each vote for these parties was a vote to keep Labour in.

Anyway…. back to normal life. Of course, now I have more time for this.

I have been following news on how Luton Borough Council plans to redevelop the former Vauxhall site (Napier’s Park). I was alarmed to learn that the Council is considering opening a large casino there. I am most disappointed to learn that the Liberal Democrat Council Executives have already submitted an application to the Department of Culture, Media and Sports back in March 2006.

A new large casino will only create more social problems to Luton, Dunstable and nearby areas. More casinos will obviously lead to more gambling, which in turn will increase the risk of addiction to gambling. Should this proposal proceed, there will almost definitely be other associated problems like broken families, debt-related depression, and many more.

There are already two casinos in Luton, in addition to several betting shops. Surely these are enough. We do not need a new large casino.

The Liberal Democrat councillors tried to justify the new large casino by saying that it will create job opportunities for Luton. They played down the risks of crime and anti-social behaviour.

I attended the Council Executive meeting yesterday. When asked what research they have done to investigate the potential social impacts, Cllr Franks (Council Leader) said that social implications of the project will only be considered when they receive a proper casino license application.

Surely they should have conducted a proper study before submitting any application to central government! And I simply do not understand why they limit the potential impacts to just crime and anti-social behaviour. Do they not realize that gambling-related problems are more varied than that?

Today I received official confirmation that I have been appointed as LEA Governor for a local school.

Great. Some proper involvement in the local community from now onwards.

Yours sincerely,
The Governor.